Chief Kippekora was enjoying the bright noon day sun with his teenage grandson when he noticed a sad face on the youth. “What can be the matter with you”, asked the concerned chief. “Grandpa”, said the youth, “you are old while I am young. Should not I be the better of the two of us?”

Confused over this lack of respect shown of his grandson the chief sits the young man down next to the camp fire and relates the following tale to him.

One day an aging Timber Wolf was in the forest chasing cottontail rabbits when he abruptly discovered he was lost. As he proceeded to wander about he chanced upon a Mountain Lion heading rapidly in his direction with the intent of having the old wolf for dinner.

The wolf realized that he is in a heap big amount of trouble with this approaching Mountain Lion and wonders what he will do. Glancing around the immediate area he noticed some bones lying on the ground not far from where he stood. He immediately lay down next to the bone and began chewing away on it placing his back deliberately towards the approaching cat. As the Mountain Lion was about to leap upon the old wolf he loudly exclaims, ‘Boy, that was one delicious Mountain Lion! Perhaps I can find another one in the forest as well.’

Hearing these words embark from the old wolf the Mountain Lion is halted in his tracks. A look of terror enveloped his face as he slivered quickly into the safety of the nearby trees. ‘Whew!’ thought the Mountain Lion, ‘That was too close! That old wolf nearly had me for dinner!’

Meanwhile, a small squirrel had been watching the complete fiasco from atop a nearby tree and decided he will put his new found knowledge to good use. He decided to approach the Mountain Lion and trade his valuable information for future protection from the Mountain Lion.

The squirrel proceeded to seek out the Mountain lion and upon catching up with him informed him of the unpleasant joke the old wolf had played on him. In the process he strikes up a safe deal for himself with the Lion.

The young Mountain Lion is now very furious at being made a fool of and informs the squirrel, ‘Hop on my back and watch what is going to happen to that conniving old wolf!”

The old wolf sees the Mountain Lion with the squirrel on his back and thinks to himself, ‘What will I do now?’, however, instead of running, the wolf once again sits down with his back towards his attackers. He sits patiently pretending that he had not noticed their approach. As they get close enough to hear the old wolf says aloud, “Where is that darn squirrel? I sent him off over an hour ago to fetch me another Mountain Lion!”

The moral of this story is don’t underestimate the old wolf as age and skill will always overcome youth and treachery! Brilliance comes only with age and experience.

Copyright @ 2010 Joseph Parish

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